So, because I was told to start with this: Indi, your AVATAR IS OVERWEIGHT.

With that out of the way (and with FC reviews at the end, 'cause I care little about them), I would like to direct you guys to the first and most pressing matter, one that I have been digging at for the passed day or two.

I think you've all heard it: "Aeria has no control over the FC. It is all EVIL cave and we can't do anything about it." Just how much of that is true? I'll let you see what I found out.

The following works like this: first link = link to this blog post about a previous FC review, and second link = link to the main Japanese version of Megaten. It's a direct link to FC previews (ones they've previously had). At the bottom, they always state a CP cost and the FC items in the FCs being added. With that out of way, the point of these links is to show the relationship between the FCs that the Jap server get and what we're getting.

So, at this point, you may be going, "So what? We get the same FC, so that further proves the GMs' side. 'ZOMGZ we haz NO CONTROL.'" On the outside, it may seem that way - but pay attention to the Japanese links I gave you. The way the links are done is that it goes year/month/day. Their FCs are updated once a week, every Thursday. I just rolled through every week looking for the FCs I recognized. The MAIN point is that the FCs are NOT ordered in the same order that the Japanese server orginally added them. So, was it so convenient that Cave threw darts on a board and went, "THIS FC is what you're getting this week," and Aeria goes, "OMGIWARDS, I can now Top Spender on the items the darts missed"? (Note that some of the Top Spenders came before the FC was added, so if they have no clue what FC they're getting, then they're SUPER LUCKY at guessing.)

Or, we can use our logic to rationalize what is REALLY happening (plausibly). Cave is being too lazy to make a new FC just for Aeria's version, and so instead tells Aeria all the different FCs they've made. With that, Aeria picks the FC that best suits their purpose - i.e. leave out those rares from 60CP FC and use those for top spenders. Because the FCs are out of order, there must be a catayst (Aeria) changing the order - or, knowing lazy Cave, they would just readd the FCs in the exact same order as the FCs that came with Cave. (You'll notice that the FCs near the start actually follow pretty faithfully in order. It's only lately, since the Top Spenders started showing up, that it started to change.)

Sheer coincidence? Or a larger force at work? *cough cough* Aeria as a business trying to hide behind Cave as a scapegoat. *cough cough*

So now, on a lighter note, Clan Rain is officially recruiting for first time. You can check out details here. (Although this is already old news by a couple of days.)

Also, I finally hit 100kBP saved; 200k more to go for Blaze of Ambition. Yay~ >.>

You guys may (or may not) know about the A-Drama (Aeria-Drama, since this would only ever happen in an Aeria game) unfolding here. It has become mandatory reading, with people here in Rain taking turns at being the one that responds next.Points of interest are:

Shadow Vouchers on Yuki and Luna (Nephrae) were given as a gift from GMs.

Xand speaks of changing the system - whether he does it, we don't know.

Whether Luna's Cursebringer was handed off by a GM is still up in the air, although most players have taken a side.

Sidenote not mentioned: GSes are already compensated 2kAP/month for their GS work.

From now on, GSes can't just quote ToS; they must state which part of the ToS you're breaking.

Luna traded Black Phoenix Voucher for the Abyss Cloak (F).

Other Abyss was opened by JonGhost and given as a gift.

GMXand:

I'll answer this, since Yuki isn't here. There are plenty of kindhearted players in Megaten who enjoy helping other people out, but they do so at their whim, when they feel like it...a Game Sage has made a commitment to do so regularly and on demand. A Game Sage is a person who has committed to being a helpful player ALL of the time, not just when they want to. They also do other things that aren't laid out in detail, such as testing and compiling information for the GM staff.

So basically, GSes have to be helpful all the time. Screenshot an incident where this is not true and I'll make sure it gets heard.

So, finally, the FC review:Shopping FC - 300APActually, this is not a bad FC. You can get those old rares some people have been itching for, like the Neko Mask, Setanta Scarf and Chaos Coat. The only problem with this FC is that it lacks one super-decisive rare to rock the masses (since Chaos Coat isn't good enough anymore). But, all in all, decent fillers, some nice old stuff that was getting hard to find = 8/10.

Night Wing FC - 600APThe crazy Yukata FC is in. If not for the horridly fail translation of the FC Vouchers, it would look much better. It gives something for everyone (I believe). For the hardcore players, you can get the nice stats off them. For the more casual players that just want to look good, you can get the economic version without stats, just for looks. A really nice touch by having both within the FC. The ugly masks (I guess some people might like them) and the rest of fillers are subpar. (There have been worse, though.) Though high rates on new looks always +ve, high AP cost per try is -ve = 8.5/10.

Highest ratings in a long time for FCs; prelude to a new beginning, or just a stroke of luck?

So, what will happen with our A-Drama? Only time will tell; tune in next week for the Amazing Adventures of Aeria (AAA).